Olympus FE-110 Review

Olympus FE-110 Operation

The FE-110's user interface offers limited exposure control and few external buttons. As a result, learning to use the camera shouldn't take too much time, even for total newbies. Pressing the Power button opens the lens cover, extends the lens, and puts the Olympus FE-110 in Shooting mode. A quick turn of the Mode dial selects from a short range of Scene modes and offers the main Program Auto option. You press the Playback button to review what you've recorded. A multicontroller on the back panel serves several functions (including adjusting Exposure Compensataion and selecting Macro, Self-Timer, and Reset options in Shooting mode), and navigates through on-screen menus. It also scrolls through captured images in Playback mode. The LCD menu system accesses the rest of the camera's limited shooting options. Even first-time beginners should get the gist of it after a few minutes.

Record Mode Display: The FE-110's Shooting mode screen always shows an information overlay that displays the exposure mode, flash mode, image quality, shots remaining on the memory card, memory selection, and a few random exposure variables. Playback Mode Display: In Playback mode, an information overlay disappears after a few seconds of not touching the controls, so you can always (eventually) see just the photo itself. Using the zoom control, you can zoom out to a thumbnail display showing four or nine images at once, or zoom in up to 2x to check finer details and focus.

Olympus FE-110 Modes and Menus

Record Mode: Shooting mode is activated by turning the FE-110 on or pressing the Shooting mode button. The Mode dial offers Program Auto, Portrait, Landscape, Night Scene, Self-Portrait, and Movie modes.

Playback Menu: The following playback options are available through the Olympus FE-110's Playback settings menu:

Slide Show: Enables an automated slide show of the images on the memory card or internal memory, with an option to repeat at the end of the cycle.

Backup: Copies pictures recorded to the internal memory to a xD-Picture Card without erasing them.

Print Tool: Enables direct printing of an image to a connected printer. (This option is only available when connected to an appropriate printer.)

Protect: Write-protects (or removes protection) from the currently displayed image. Write-protection locks the image file so you can't accidentally erase it or change the file in any way (except by formatting the card).